November 12, 2023 is the deadline. | Pulitzer Center Local Letters for Global Change Contest 2023
The Pulitzer Center Local Letters for Global Change Contest 2023 is now accepting applications. This fall, make your voice heard by drafting a letter to your local elected official outlining the global issue you want them to focus on, demonstrating how it relates to your neighborhood, and offering a solution.
Students can learn about underreported topics that are important to them while also learning persuasive writing, global citizenship, and civic engagement through this competition. Tell the world what’s most important to you in your letter; the Pulitzer Center wants to read it and share it.
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Prizes
Three first-place winners will be chosen, one from each of the three grade levels: high school (grades 9–12), middle school (grades 6-8), and elementary (grades K–5).
First-place winners will receive $100 to enhance student involvement in the global community (the money will be given to the student’s classroom teacher).
your message, picture, and biography being published on the Pulitzer Center website
All grade levels will pick more finalists. Winners will be given:
your message, picture, and biography being published on the Pulitzer Center website
Eligibility
All current K–12 students from all over the world are welcome to submit contributions.
You can write letters in either English or Spanish.
Judging Standards
This rubric will be used to evaluate letters. The Pulitzer Center staff has provided the following suggestions and guiding questions:
- How do I convey the significance of this global issue to someone who doesn’t know anything about it?
- Your reader must comprehend the problem before you can make an argument for a solution. How can you succinctly convey its significance to them in a way that is simple to understand? As you summarize, refer to the news article from the Pulitzer Center and make sure to reference all of your sources. Do any numbers, figures, or passages from the narrative support your explanation of the problem?
- What ties me to the worldwide problem I’m writing about?
- Most letters will comment on a news item that was reported from a different city, state, or nation than their own. Share specifics from the news article you read in your letter and discuss how the underlying concerns relate to your local area. Do you and other people in your neighborhood share the same problem? Are the people and places you read about impacted by the decisions made in your community? Make it obvious how the news story’s major, systemic concerns relate to you locally and/or personally by identifying them.
- What remedies already exist for this issue?
- There are undoubtedly other people working on this problem in your neighborhood and all over the world. The wheel doesn’t need to be invented again! Think about supporting an approach that has worked in the past or is currently being implemented. You may describe how a strategy used elsewhere could be applied locally or how the efforts of individuals or groups involved in your community could be aided.
- Who has the authority to bring about the change I desire?
- Your letter will be most effective if it reaches a decision-maker who can carry out the suggested course of action. Decide which office should get your letter after doing some research on your elected representatives. Write to a member of your school board, for instance, if you’re writing about regional educational difficulties. Your state senator or governor might be the best option if you want to see state-level legislation passed.
Application
- Select a news story on a worldwide subject that interests you by clicking this link or the Suggested Stories tab.
- Include the following in a one-page letter that you write to your local elected official:
- Brief explanation of a world issue based on a Pulitzer Center news report.
- Explain how you personally or your local community are affected by this global issue.
- Tell your local representative what steps you would like them to take to remedy this problem or otherwise improve the circumstances around it.
- Enter the contest using this form. You can copy and paste your letter right into the form, along with some basic personal and contact information, the name and contact information for one of your professors, and some basic personal and contact information.
- You can find the contact information for your representatives online. Consider sending your letter directly to the Pulitzer Center via mail or email after you’ve submitted it there.
To Apply, Click Here
Visit Pulitzer Center Contest to learn more.
